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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971777">Best Friends</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitecrossgirl/pseuds/whitecrossgirl'>whitecrossgirl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Emily and Will are bffs, F/M, Friendship, Possible AUs, basically sticking a middle finger to the abusive!Will trope, mostly - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:48:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,332</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitecrossgirl/pseuds/whitecrossgirl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Emily and Will were best friends. In their own way. In between Emily giving Will the shovel talk; drunken conversations and the truth about Michael's middle name; the two of them had a unique and strong friendship.</p><p>A series of unconnected fics, some based in canon, others various AUs. Reviews and feedback welcome.</p><p>Chapter 3: Early Season 7: After taking a drunk JJ and Garcia home, Emily and Will sit up for some hot chocolate and a much needed talk.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/William LaMontagne Jr.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Jones</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Like I put in the tags; I hate the abusive!Will trope that appears in a lot of fics. I think it is possible to not like a character without resorting to bashing them or turning their personality completely on its head. But that's a rant for another time.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Detective LaMontagne, can I have a word?” Emily asked quietly as she and Will packed up the information from the case. The unsub had been caught and the last victim had been saved. Technically it was a win but Emily couldn’t help but sympathise for the unsub. Sarah had been a victim too, only no one had taken her seriously. It was terrible that she had been pushed to such an extent. But it was over now. </p><p>“Sure, everythin’ alright?” Will asked. His dad’s last case had finally been solved. He hoped that offered his dad some peace, as well as Sarah. However, he couldn’t deny that he hadn't been fully focused on the case. He hadn’t meant for it to happen but he had never felt like this before. He could tell, JJ was someone special. </p><p>“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about JJ.” Emily replied, smiling to herself as Will’s body language visibly changed. He was trying to act casual. Sweet. In a cheesy sort of way. </p><p>“What about her?” Will asked casually. They had talked about it but it was a lot to think about, a lot to sort out. The fact that they lived hundreds of miles from one another was a big one to consider. </p><p>“Look, I’ve not been part of this team for long but they’re not just my colleagues. They’re my family and JJ is the little sister I’ve always wanted. I care about her and I protect the people I care about.” Emily explained as Will gave a wry smile.</p><p>“Is this the ‘you hurt her and I hurt you’ speech?” Will asked and Emily laughed, noticing the look JJ shot her from across the room. Subtle, JJ was not. </p><p>“No, if you hurt her, she will hurt you. This is the speech where I tell you that best case scenario if you are ever stupid enough to hurt her, will be my boys and I flying down to New Orleans and beating you half to death. Worst case, you will disappear and never be found. I know people. I can make it happen.” Emily explained as Will shook his head.</p><p>“Believe me, that won’t be a problem. I would never hurt her.” Will swore as Emily nodded solemnly. Good. She'd hate to have to have him locked up in a top-secret Russian prison, like someone she knew.</p><p>“Good. I like you LaMontagne. Takes me a while to trust people but you’ve got potential. Also, I am serious about the guys kicking your ass. Hotch and Morgan treat and love JJ like a little sister and Reid shouldn’t be underestimated plus all three of them have known JJ longer than I have. They would be more than happy to beat up anyone who tried to hurt our girl.” Emily informed Will. She had seen and heard of the different times when Hotch, Morgan and Reid have tried to defend or protect JJ. Of course she could handle herself but it was an instinct to protect one another. They were a team, a family. No one messed with that and lived to tell the tale. The last time she had had this level of trust in a team had been in her Interpol days; days which she would rather forget than remember. </p><p>“I’ll keep it in mind. Honestly, if I ever am that stupid; I’ll deserve whatever I get.” Will replied as Emily smiled at him. </p><p>“And you’re clever too. Try ditching that accent and we could be friends.” Emily quipped as Will rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I should probably let JJ talk to you, I can feel her glaring at me.”</p><p>Emily finished packing the case box and set it with the others, resisting the urge to tease JJ with how obvious she was about her emotions. She would have never pegged JJ for the jealous type but the glares and not-so-subtle looks that JJ had sent in her direction as she spoke to Will had been a dead giveaway. It wasn’t her business to pry into her colleagues’ personal lives. Everyone was entitled to their privacy and to their secrets. </p><p>But she couldn’t <i>not</i> tell Garcia about the possible new man in JJ’s life. </p><p>Just in case.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hit & Run</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So?” Will asked, dragging a breath through his teeth. “How’s your Saturday been?”</p>
<p>It would have been a perfectly normal question; had Will not asked it as he sat on the station floor with a bomb strapped to his chest and a gunshot wound to his shoulder. However the absurdity of the situation broke the tension and both of them laughed as they waited for the bomb squad to help detach the bomb. </p>
<p>“You mean aside from all of this? Good, I guess.” Emily replied as Will shot her a look. “I was looking at a house and then got a job offer from my friend Clyde. It’s at Interpol. In London.”</p>
<p>“So you’re wondering whether to stay or to go?” Will finished. “You want to talk about it?”</p>
<p>“I just need to think, plus we should take a look at your shoulder.” Emily said as she stood and crouched to try and examine the wound.</p>
<p>“A firefighter stitched it up. Should be fine ‘til I get to a hospital. Anyway, could do with a distraction. What do you think you should do?” Will asked as Emily sat down beside him. She had barely had a chance to think about it. It had come so abruptly and turned everything on its head. In typical Clyde Easter fashion he had launched a bombshell that caused her to rethink and reevaluate everything.</p>
<p>“I don’t know. The BAU is home, this team is my family but since I returned from Paris, it’s not been the same. And I know it takes time but I’ve given it time. I don’t know if it’s where I belong.” Emily explained as Will nodded and winced slightly. “Are you in pain?”</p>
<p>“Obviously but unless you’ve got some painkillers in your pocket. I’ll have to make do.” Will replied as he considered Emily’s words. “What would stop you from going to London?”</p>
<p>“Well, it’s a lot of change. I mean, I’m used to moving country to country but this would be because of my career, my life. Plus it’s not just an agent role; it’s heading their London office. That’s a massive jump in career and not what I’m familiar with. It’s a lot more political and further up a food chain than I’ve worked before. It’s a massive undertaking.” Emily explained as she looked around. “Where the hell is bomb squad?”</p>
<p>“They’re on their way and don’t change the subject.” Will quipped. “I think you should consider it. You won’t know until you give it a try. If you hate it; then you can always come back. You know Hotch would always ensure you’ve got a spot on the team. If you love it, then you can make the most of it.”</p>
<p>“That’s pretty smart. Maybe that pain’s rattled your brain.” Emily quipped as Will rolled his eyes. </p>
<p>“Now that I won’t miss.” Will commented. “Besides, I know Jen’s always wanted to go to London.”</p>
<p>“OK, now it sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me.” Emily joked as she sighed. “I guess the more I think about it, the more I think I should give it a shot.”</p>
<p>“You should,” Will said as the bomb squad finally spotted them. Emily stayed with Will, watching as the bomb was disassembled and removed. Once the bomb had been removed, Emily put Will’s arm around her shoulder and slid her arm around his waist as she supported him down the stairs to where EMTs were rushing to meet them.</p>
<p>“Look after this one. He’s had one hell of a day.” Emily quipped as the EMTs took over. Emily leant against the wall and let out a sigh as Will was bundled into the ambulance. Talk about one hell of a Saturday.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Post-Lauren</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've always had the headcanon that Will knew that Emily faked her death. It's just too big of a secret for JJ to hide from him and I think he would have understood why the rest of the team couldn't have known.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Jen? You awake?” Will called softly as he locked the front door, double checking the lock both as a precaution and out of habit. He didn’t want the one time that he didn’t double check to be the time things went wrong.</p>
<p>Well, not that things could go even more wrong. </p>
<p>They had thought that JJ’s transfer would have some positives. He couldn’t deny that it was amazing having her home more, that Henry loved the extra time with his mother but he could tell that the transfer hadn’t been the right decision. It was as if everything had gone wrong since then. First it was the politics that JJ hated. Then there were the international assignments. Then Afghanistan… the car bomb…</p>
<p>Then Emily had died. </p>
<p>Well. That was the official story. Will knew the truth; JJ had told him in between sobs and rushed packing and panic over lying to her friends and when, if ever, Emily would be able to come home. He didn’t know where she was. All he knew was that she was at least in Europe, judging by the Euro coins he had spotted when JJ had come back. He knew that she was alive and as much as he hated lying; Will knew it was essential to keeping the team safe and Emily alive. The ten weeks where Spencer had turned up almost every night, crying, reminiscing and lamenting not doing more had been painful. None of them handled change or loss well and Emily had been such an integral part of their lives; a friend, a mentor and a sister; that the gap she had left seemed endless. </p>
<p>Will shook his head and wandered into the living room, expecting to see JJ sitting on the couch watching TV with a glass of wine. Instead, she was slumped over on the couch, fast asleep. She was bundled in a blanket and her laptop was open on the coffee table. Will touched the mousepad and the screen lit up. It was an online Scrabble game. It looked as though the game had been ongoing until JJ had fallen asleep. Will smiled at the screenname JJ had chosen for herself. Cheeto_Breath. His Jen did love her Cheetos. The smile faded as he spotted a chat window and a conversation between JJ and her opponent. Lazarus101270. </p>
<p>“It can’t be,” Will muttered, as he looked at some of the words that had been spelt out. Team. Family. Home. Case. Jet. Words that related to their lives and a user with the name Lazarus; the biblical character who Jesus rose from the dead and Emily’s birthday. </p>
<p>Will looked at the chat window and saw the last message was half an hour ago. He was unsure if Emily was still online. It had to be the middle of the night there. Will hesitated before he typed out a message.</p>
<p><b>Cheeto_Breath</b><br/>
<i>She fell asleep playing with you. I know your story Lazarus. Last Viable Donor.</i></p>
<p>JJ had told him about the ‘last viable donor’ comment Emily had made the day Henry was born. It had been a bit of a running joke between them, usually when they wanted to tease one another or JJ. It was also a way of testing that it was really Emily. Anyone else would be confused by the comment.  A few moments later, he got a response. </p>
<p><b>Lazarus101270</b><br/>
<i>That’s OK, she needs her sleep.</i><br/>
<i>I knew she’d tell you.</i></p>
<p>Will wanted to try to say something but any offer of reassurance just felt empty. He couldn’t promise Emily things would work out or that she’d be home soon. None of them knew when that would happen. It had already been three months. It could be years before the team caught Doyle. Instead, he wrote a simple response. </p>
<p><b>Cheeto_Breath</b><br/>
<i>Take care of yourself. I’ll look after her.</i></p>
<p><b>Lazarus101270</b><br/>
<i>I will. I have to go now.</i></p>
<p>A little icon told him that Emily had gone offline. Will shut down the laptop and gently shook JJ’s shoulder. “Jen, wake up.”</p>
<p>“Hey, when did you get home?” JJ asked, rubbing her eyes. </p>
<p>“A few minutes ago. I turned your laptop off.” Will replied as JJ reached for the laptop. “Your online friend seems nice.”</p>
<p>“She is.” JJ replied as she looked at Will. “You can’t tell anyone.”</p>
<p>“I won’t. Promise.” Will reassured as JJ went to get ready for bed and Will double-checked the doors and windows before following her up to their room. As he got into bed, JJ rested her head on his chest and he could feel the tears as they slid onto his t-shirt. It wasn’t the first time in the past three months that he had held JJ as she cried in their bed. Will stroked her back and kissed her hair. </p>
<p>“I miss her so much.” JJ whispered as she wiped her eyes. “I just want her to come home.”</p>
<p>“I know, I miss her too.” Will said. “She will come home. Doesn’t matter if it’s tomorrow or in ten years. She will come home but for now, this is keeping her safe.”</p>
<p>“I hate it,” JJ muttered quietly. “I know it’s what needs to be done but I still hate it.”</p>
<p>“I know, doesn’t make it any easier.” Will said wearily as he continued stroking JJ’s back, trying to comfort her back to sleep. As much as they hated living a lie; they knew it was what had to be done. Each day, they were one day closer to it all being over; to Doyle being captured or killed and Emily being able to return home. </p>
<p>“One day at a time.” JJ murmured sleepily as Will kissed her again.</p>
<p>“One day at a time.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Early Season 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How are you? Really?” Will asked as he stood in the kitchen, prepping a tray of snacks; a bowl of Cheetos, some cookies and chocolate and popcorn. Emily swiped a handful of popcorn and shrugged her shoulders. </p><p>“Adjusting. I guess.” Emily muttered. It had been a month since she had come back from Paris and things weren’t as she expected. Will was about to answer before he heard JJ hollering from their bedroom.</p><p>“Will! We’re waiting!” JJ called and he could hear her drunken laughter.</p><p>“Yeah! We want food!” Garcia chanted and Will shook his head. He picked up the tray and walked up to his and JJ’s bedroom. JJ and Garcia were sitting up in bed and cheered as he set the tray on the bed. Will kissed JJ’s forehead and quickly checked on Henry before he returned down to Emily. </p><p>“What were they drinking?” Will asked as Emily shook her head, smiling wryly. She hadn’t been able to drink as much due to her healing ulcer. Plus, she hadn’t felt like going out so the night hadn’t been as fun as she had expected. </p><p>“Pretty much a little bit of everything but mostly some absinthe.” Emily explained as Will flicked the kettle on. “What are you making?”</p><p>“Coffee, can you drink some?” Will asked and Emily shrugged her shoulders. It wasn’t ideal, especially due to her ulcer. Will turned the kettle off and turned to the fridge. “Guess I’ll make some coco then.”</p><p>“You don’t have to.” Emily protested as she watched Will rummage through the cupboard and pulling out hot chocolate powder, marshmallows and flavoured syrup.</p><p>“I ain’t getting any sleep tonight anyway. Garcia took ma bed.” Will commented and Emily smiled. </p><p>“Yeah, she does that.” Emily replied. Before everything had gone wrong, it didn’t matter whose house they crashed at after a night out; somehow Garcia got dibs on the bed. Will set the mug on the table in front of her; the mug was piled high with marshmallows, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles and a flake. “This is too much Will.”</p><p>“Nah, this calls for chocolate.” Will replied as he sat down across from her. “Come on, tell me what’s wrong.”</p><p>“It’s just hard, getting used to being back. I spent so long thinking about it and I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I just didn’t think it would be this hard.” Emily explained as she let the warmth of the mug seep into her hands. She had spent many hours in her apartment in Paris, daydreaming and imagining coming back to the team. In those fantasies; it had been a lot easier. She hadn’t considered Reid’s anger, Morgan’s distrust, Garcia’s overprotectiveness and the constant awkwardness that surrounded the team. In those fantasies, she had been happy. </p><p>“It was a long seven months for everyone. They know that it was done for the right reasons and it was a huge shock. As irritating as it is, they just need more time.” Will reassured her. He knew the cliches were annoying but there was nothing else that could be done. </p><p>“I know. I just missed so much too, especially with the boys. Jack’s gotten so tall and he’s in grade school now and Henry’s so lively and cheeky.” Emily said; the two boys had reminded her so much of Declan when he was that age and had helped keep her going throughout her time away. She needed to keep the three of them safe. It was the same promise she had made when she realised who Declan was; when Henry had been born; when they had arrived at Haley’s house just a few minutes too late; that she would do whatever it took to keep them safe. </p><p>“He gets that from his momma.” Will quipped. “He’s the spittin’ image of her.”</p><p>“And still without your accent.” Emily joked as Will rolled his eyes playfully. At least that hadn’t changed; she may have come back from the dead but Emily still insisted on making fun of his accent. </p><p>“C’mon, that joke’s like three years old.” Will said as Emily dismissed it. </p><p>“Still funny.” Emily said as they heard JJ and Garcia summoning her to join them. “One minute.”</p><p>Emily walked up the stairs but before she could reach the bedroom, a bleary eyed Henry emerged from his bedroom. “Mommy?”</p><p>“No Sweetie, it’s Emily. Are you OK?” Emily asked as she picked Henry up. He was taller than she remembered, heavier too but she shifted her grip and Henry latched his arms around her neck. </p><p>“Noisy.” Henry replied as Emily stood in the doorway of JJ’s room. “Mommy!”</p><p>“Oh my baby!” JJ called from her bed. Garcia, who seemed to be half asleep, stirred at the sight of Henry and Emily and beamed at them. JJ leaned over the bed to try and reach for Henry but fell onto Garcia, causing both of them to start laughing. </p><p>“Mommy’s silly!” Henry commented as Emily led him away. </p><p>“Mommy and Auntie Penny were drinking their Silly Juice.” Emily explained as she rubbed Henry’s back. “Do you want to go back to bed?”</p><p>“Can I have juice?” Henry asked and Emily took him down the stairs. Will smiled at the sight of him as Henry wriggled in Emily’s arms and rushed over to give his dad a hug. Emily went to fetch a cup and a carton of apple juice for Henry.</p><p>“Hey lil’ man. What are you doing up?” Will asked, perching Henry on his lap as Henry reached for a marshmallow in his mug. </p><p>“Mommy and Auntie Penny woke me up. They had their Silly Juice.” Henry explained as Will chuckled at the comment. </p><p>“And that’s why you’re not allowed Silly Juice until you’re twenty one.” Will quipped. “Thanks, Emily. What do you say?”</p><p>“Thank you,” Henry beamed as he drank his juice.</p><p>“Look, I know it’s tough now, but things will get better. It’s been one hell of a year for everybody but we’ll get through it. We always do.” Will reassured. “Besides, I’m here if you ever need some hot chocolate and a talk in the middle of the night.”</p><p>“Thanks Will,” Emily replied as she sipped her hot chocolate. She had to admit, even if she didn’t feel like talking, the hot chocolate would be worth it.</p>
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